Why Early Access?

“Roguefort has been shaped by its players from the start. The free pre-release, the demo and the Steam Playtest brought in hundreds of bug reports and suggestions, and a lot of what's in the game today got better because people took the time to tell me what wasn't working or what could make the game even better. Early Access lets me keep building it that way, with a much bigger group of players, and in a more sustainable way. The world is big and the systems are deep, so there's a lot more I want to add and polish, and I would like to do that alongside the people playing it than behind closed doors.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Around 12 months. My preference is to take a bit longer and get it right than rush out a 1.0, and I'll keep everyone posted if that changes.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“I plan to add more of everything that's already there, and a lot more polish. The plans include:
- Expanding the continent of Cantal with more locations, dungeons and quests
- Deepening the Guild war storyline and its endings
- Adding at least three more competitive raid dungeons (in addition to the one that will launch with the Early Access), including co-op dungeons
- Adding and commissioning more pixel art to the game, including for the storylines
- Growing the colony (Fortress) mode with more depth, features, industries, threats and expeditions, as well as crossplay between Adventure and Fortress modes
- Balancing the economy, combat and progression based on player feedback
- Polishing the four visual styles and co-op, and improving performance across the board

Player feedback will shape the priorities along the way, so the order may change.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Roguefort is fully playable now. You can explore the handcrafted continent of Cantal in Adventure Mode, or start a new procedurally generated continent every run in The Crossing. Cheese magic, homesteading, farming, fishing, sailing, dungeons, the five Guilds, the colony mode and all four visual styles (ASCII, pixel art, 2.5D and first-person 3D) are in the game, and are polished and perfectly playable to a high standard based on feedback and streamer commentary. Co-op for up to four players is in too, and still getting regular fixes and enhancements. Expect some minor bugs and balance changes along the way. I work hard to keep saves working between updates, and so far have managed to ensure continuity of saves even since the game was in alpha.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“Yes. I plan to raise the price when Roguefort reaches 1.0, so jumping in during Early Access will be the cheapest way to play. I want it to be as affordable as possible for as many people as possible.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“The same way it's worked so far, just bigger. The Roguefort Discord has dedicated forums for bug reports and suggestions, and I go through every one. When something gets fixed or added, the post is tagged, so you can see what came of it, and hundreds have been closed out that way already. Approved community artists can paint and submit sprites straight into the game through an in-browser tool, and playtesters are credited in-game. I'll also be reading the Steam forums and reviews, and posting regular updates with patch notes so everyone can see where things are heading.”